Characteristics and description of the Californian miracle pepper variety and its yield
Quite a lot of summer residents are engaged in planting sweet peppers. One of the most common varieties is the California Miracle pepper. Its main distinguishing feature is its taste, as it is several times sweeter than other species.
Description
The characteristic includes a description of the fruits and characteristics of the plant. The California miracle belongs to the mid-season varieties. It takes about 115-125 days to reach technical maturity. The plant is a bush with elastic, spreading branches and a stem about 75 cm high. The seeds are distinguished by good germination, thanks to which peppers can be planted in open and closed ground.
The fruits of the plant are rather large and sweet. They are colored bright yellow and have a cuboid shape. Their surface is covered with a shiny and smooth skin. The weight of ripe fruits can reach 165 grams.
The plant is thermophilic, but good yields can be achieved even in insufficiently favorable conditions. On average, 5-10 fruits can be harvested from one bush.
Planting seedlings
Before growing the California Miracle pepper, you should start planting seedlings. This is done in mid-February, since young bushes need to be transplanted into open ground 100 days after planting. If you do this later or earlier, then the vegetation may slow down due to unfavorable climatic conditions.
Planting seedlings consists of several stages.
Disinfection
Disinfection is carried out to protect future seedlings from bacterial and fungal diseases. Seeds can be disinfected dry and wet. The most common dry method is sun exposure for one week.
Numerous reviews indicate that the best means for wet disinfection is a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. For this, the seeds are placed in a heated liquid for 25-35 minutes. You can also use a 2% hydrogen peroxide solution. Before adding seeds, it is preheated to 35 aboutFROM.
You can protect the plant from bacterial diseases with the help of aloe juice. For this, the seeds are kept in liquid for several days.
Soak
In order for the pepper to have a good yield, its seeds must be soaked for 4-6 hours in warm water. After that, they are placed in wet cheesecloth for pecking. Store seeds in a plastic bag so they don't dry out quickly. It will be possible to plant them in the ground 2-3 days after soaking.
Choice of capacity
You should not buy large containers for planting. The California miracle pepper develops rather slowly and its roots take up little space. It is better to plant seeds in small pots or special cassettes with cells.
Soil preparation
In the ground for seedlings, pathogens of various diseases can be found. To destroy them, you need to disinfect the soil. This can be done by warming the soil in the oven at a temperature of +125 aboutC. The second way to disinfect the ground is much easier. It is enough to water the soil with boiled water.
Planting
Californian pepper seeds must be sown in moist soil. The land will need to be watered one more time immediately after sowing. Before the first shoots appear, the seedlings are covered with foil and stored in a room with a temperature of about 20aboutFROM.
Seedling care
After the first leaves appear, the pots of sweet pepper should be moved to a room with additional lighting. You should also remove the plastic wrap so that the plant gradually gets used to the new conditions. The optimum daytime temperature for growing is 25 aboutС, and evening - not lower than 10-15 ° С.
Water the seedlings two to three times a week. For this, it is recommended to use warm water with a temperature of about 35 aboutC. If you water it with cold liquid, the yellow pepper bushes can get sick and die over time.
The soil can be treated with mineral fertilizers several times a month. However, if all the conditions for growing pepper are met, then you can do without it.
Landing in the ground
You need to plant bushes in open ground at the beginning of summer. If the plant is to be grown in a greenhouse, then it can be transplanted in mid-May.
Seedling preparation
Before planting the peppers in the ground, the seedlings must be hardened. This is done to improve the yield and survival rate of the plant. Gradual hardening helps the Californian peppers get used to the sun's rays.
First, the seedlings are placed near an open window for several hours. After warming, it can be moved to the street or balcony. Do not change the temperature conditions too dramatically, as this can affect the health of the plant.
Soil preparation
First, you need to disinfect the ground. This is done a few months before the planting of the California miracle. The soil is treated with special chemical solutions and fertilized. For this, potash, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers are used.
Loamy soil can be fertilized with a mixture of peat, manure and sawdust. Coarse sand with peat and humus is added to the clay soil.
2-3 days before planting, the beds are processed with a cowshed. Five liters of liquid are consumed per square meter of the site. After that, the soil is dug up and you can start transplanting seedlings.
Planting seedlings
When planting the California Miracle sweet pepper, the square-nest method is used. The distance between the beds and bushes should be at least 35 cm. The depth of the holes is the same as the height of the seedling containers. It is necessary to cover the plant with soil very carefully so as not to accidentally close the root collar.
Pepper care
The California yellow miracle is an unpretentious plant, but this does not mean that it does not need to be looked after.
Watering
If there is not enough moisture in the soil, then the growth of the plant will slow down. Water it regularly and at the root. To do this, use well-heated water. When growing bushes in a greenhouse, not only the ground is watered, but also the aisles with paths. This will help maintain the desired level of humidity and increase yields.
Soil care
You need to loosen the soil several times a month.This is done very carefully so as not to accidentally damage the roots of the plant. To avoid weeding often, the soil must be mulched. To do this, the land is covered with a layer of straw, sawdust, humus or grass cuttings.
Top dressing
Sweet bell peppers should be fed several times per season. The first feeding is carried out immediately after the first leaves appear on the bushes. The next one should be carried out only after 2-3 weeks. Nitrogen fertilizers should be used very carefully, as they may reduce the number of ovaries.
Disease and pest control
There are several of the most common pests and diseases of bell pepper.
Aphid
Causes great harm to the plant, as it feeds on its juice. To get rid of aphids, the bushes should be treated with insecticides. For this, one spoon of the drug is mixed with ten liters of water. During fruiting, you cannot spray the plant.
Spider mite
This pest feeds on sap from plant leaves. You can get rid of it with a special solution. For its preparation, a glass of ground garlic is mixed with liquid soap, dandelion leaves and 5-8 liters of water. The filtered liquid is applied to the leaves of the plant.
Slugs
Very dangerous pests that feed on the fruits and leaves of the Californian. To prevent slugs from appearing on the bushes, you need to regularly loosen the soil and pollinate the plant with dry mustard.
Conclusion
Californian pepper is a rather unpretentious variety that even people without experience can grow. To do this, it is enough to study the description of the variety and the features of its cultivation.
